President Putin made three foundational assumptions in launching his war against Ukraine that should have been correct but were not. First, Putin assumed the invasion of Ukraine would be a quick and easy fight. Second, he assumed the world would denounce the invasion but tacitly allow it. Third, Putin assumed the war would deter NATO expansion.
Looking at historic Russian anti-war art can provide an excellent start to examine today’s artists, and the works of Vasily Vereshchagin could be that point of departure. After all, if it is shocking enough to make Moltke the Elder clutch his medals, maybe we should all take a peek before it is too late.
Strategy, like art, requires a unique talent and disposition, an eye for both minute detail and overall composition, time, training, and the uninhibited opportunity to create. There is no lack of talent, artistry, or creativity in the guild of American strategists. When given a block of marble and the latitude to truly innovate, the results can be astounding works of art. American strategy attempts to present a contrapposto, the relaxed confidence of a superpower with the slight twist of dynamic responsiveness to external actors or new challenges.
Art provides a unique option for military and strategy professionals to examine what tips a society into change. Much like a rigorous campaign analysis enables understanding of a culture moving its military to and from wars, analyzing a body of artwork can provide insight into how a nation views its military forces and actions.
When leaders re-examine their professional development programs, expanding these programs to include the visual and fine arts presents unique options. Like professional reading lists, the fine arts offer opportunities to explore both the history and societal views of war from an overlooked perspective, the perspective of artists. Artistic interpretation of events allows viewers to glimpse a society at a moment in time as well as an enduring perspective of a larger conflict, much like Picasso’s epic mural was an interpretation of both Franco’s dictatorship and the discrete attack on the town of Guernica.
Where conflict, instability, and insecurity exist, illicit markets for desired goods follow. Unimpeded—or even encouraged—by local law enforcement or security forces, the trafficking of cultural property is also a faster, simpler process for private collectors when the means for peacetime physical security of museums, monuments, ancient sites, and collections is focused elsewhere while fighting.
Duty and perseverance are necessary traits for all kinds of leaders—civilian and military alike—but older notions will only lead to further peril. Henceforth, “duty” should be seen as “getting the job done right” and “perseverance” should be “pushing forward as long as it works...and, if not, go back and try again.” These are categorically better than today’s notions of “just do the job” (duty) and “pushing forward regardless” (perseverance).
